Acupuncture and its Place in Postoperative Pain Management
Postoperative pain is a result of surgical trauma and remains a major challenge to most healthcare providers. About 75 percent of patients in most health care centers may either experience severe or moderate pain after having a surgery done to their body (Lu & Lu, 2013). Postoperative pain is normally treated using opioid analgesics, including fentanyl, morphine, meperidine, and hydromorphine (Lu & Lu, 2013). However, such drugs are associated with undesirable side effects to patients, which can slow down the rate of recovery. Common side effects include: decreased gut motility, nausea, sedation, and vomiting (Lu & Lu, 2013; Wu, et al., 2016). Using customized strategies in analgesic administration results in improved pain control to patients (Lu & Lu, 2013). For instance, patient controlled analgesia is used to decrease the use of opioid analgesics. Because drug therapy comes with side effects and it is expensive to manage postoperative pain, acupuncture is a viable complementary therapy to control pain.
Background
According to Clark (2016), opioids that have a short period of analgesic activity have more disadvantages than advantages. Such opioids seem to create a lot of problems. For instance, the medications are supposed to be taken several times in a day thus causing interference to daily activities carried out by a patient. With application of opioids, it is quite difficult to achieve analgesia. Some of the side effects of using opioids include vomiting as a result of using CR morphine and constipation which is associated with CR oxycodone. Opioids are not regularly prescribed because they may lead to cognitive impairments especially to the elderly. It is important to note that elderly patients using opioids are more prone to delirium than young patients. The performance of hydromorphine is poorer than that of morphine. The metabolites of opioids that are excreted by the kidney increase toxicity to the body. On the other hand, if opioids are used for a long time, they change how nerve cells work leading to addiction. The brain nerve cells become dependent on opioids such that when they are eliminated, the patient develops unpleasant reactions and feelings (Groppetti et al. 2011).
Acupuncture is mainly used for the treatment of pain. Several studies have shown that it is safe in comparison to routine care (Chon & Lee, 2014; Patil, et al., 2016). Acupuncture refers to a type of treatment that is derived from Chinese medicine (Chon & Lee, 2014). In this type of treatment, an individual is inserted with tiny needles at specific parts of the body for preventative or therapeutic purposes (Cho, et al., 2015; Patil, et al., 2016). The method is used in many hospices and pain clinics in different parts of the world. Most people view acupuncture as a form of alternative or complementary medicine. Acupuncture is used in the treatment of a wide range of health conditions. For example, it may be used in the treatment of migraines, lower back pain, and severe headaches (Patil, et al., 2016). It is also used in the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions and different types of pain such as dental pain, postoperative pain, and joint pain (Chon & Lee, 2014).
Advantages of Acupuncture
Acupuncture is helpful for quickly managing pain. Research shows that acupuncture is aimed at maintaining and restoring health by concentrating on critical points of the body (Garcia, et al., 2013; Patil, et al., 2013). It is well known by most medical practitioners because it is a non-invasive treatment method used by numerous acupuncturists, dentists, and physicians to relieve pain and other health related problems (Garcia, et al., 2013; Wu, et al., 2016). The positive results of the treatment method contribute to client satisfaction. This holistic therapy method is mainly applied to knee pain and lower back therapy (Garcia, et al., 2013). The results of the treatment are achieved within a short time, thus, the patients become relieved quickly.
When acupuncture is used for different types of pain including shoulder pain, headache, neck ache, and back ache, it proves to be effective (McCartney & Nelligan, 2014).
According to Garcia, et al. (2013), application of acupuncture in treatment can be used to any age group. The elderly, children and adults can be treated using this method. The treatment method is safe and does not cause significant harm to patients. Indeed, the application of acupuncture in treatment can be done without causing interference to other types of ongoing medications and treatment. Acupuncture stimulates the nerves located in the spinal cord and allows the brain to get rid of pain by releasing pain relieving neurotransmitters. Acupuncture leads to the release of endorphins by inducing the pituitary gland (Garcia, et al., 2013). Patients who follow acupuncture treatment to reduce recurrent pain experienced an increased release of endorphins.
According to Chandrakantan and Glass (2011), acupuncture should be done by a regulated medical practitioner such as a physiotherapist, a nurse, a doctor or a member of a national acupuncture program. that is well recognized. The authors note that the use of conventional medicine is mainly criticized due to its side effects or the high risks associated with performing the surgery. Acupuncture treatment results in a slight pain, bruising or bleeding (Chao, et al., 2016). Adverse effects of the treatment are transient and minor, which occur in approximately 10% of patients (Chandrakantan & Glass, 2011). Serious side effects include vomiting, fainting, and dizziness, which are less common (Chandrakantan & Glass, 2011). Serious side effects are only experienced by anxious patients who fear needles.
The effectiveness of using acupuncture in treatment varies from one individual to another. Different people give different responses in regards to the treatment. Some patients may need to use the technique for a long time to get benefits that will last for a long time too (McCartney & Nelligan, 2014). Thus, proper diagnosis and monitoring is crucial in ensuring the effectiveness of the treatment.
Counterargument
Opioids play an important role in the treatment of various types of chronic and acute pain. Opioids exert pharmacologic effects as agonists in opioid receptors in a patient’s body thus resulting to beneficial therapeutic effects. Opioids generally reduce a patient’s perception of pain and the anxiety that results from severe pain.
Acupuncture is a reasonable treatment method for people suffering from chronic pain. Acupuncture helps ease different chronic pains such as neck pain, low-back pain, and osteoarthritis. The method should also be supported because it prevents migraine headaches and reduces the frequency of tension headaches. There are relatively few complications that have been reported so far about the use of acupuncture. This means that the method is quite effective and should be considered for treatment and easing pain.
The benefits of employing acupuncture are quite significant and definitely outweigh the setbacks as discussed above. The side effects of applying the treatment method are not quite harmful. It is also important to note that the effects of applying acupuncture are short lived. If safety measures are strictly followed then the method can be safe and effective. Acupuncture cannot be disregarded because its side effects can totally be avoided if safety precautions are taken. The other important thing to note is that the side effects are rarely witnessed showing that the method is quite safe.
Some of the things that can be agreed upon involve the short lived side effects of the disease. However, it cannot be agreed that the method is entirely insecure because there are effective safety measures that can be taken. The most challenging thing about supporting the application of acupuncture is the effects that might arise once a disease is transmitted. However, it can be argued that the incidences rarely happen and are also avoidable. If people do not support application of acupuncture, they should suggest an alternative with lesser negative impacts and equally effective as acupuncture method.
Refutation
If basic principles of sanitation and hygiene are followed, acupuncture is a safe and effective treatment method (Chao, et al., 2016). Research shows that treatment using acupuncture method has negligible adverse effects as opposed to medical procedures and prescribed medications adopted to treat similar health conditions (Garcia, et al., 2013). Most of the side effects only last for a short time and may include: visual changes, headaches, and dry mouth (Patil, et al., 2013). The same effects are manageable to individuals.
According to a study conducted by Groppetti el al. (2011), the use of acupuncture is more effective than application of opioids. The findings showed that acupuncture is an effective technique of providing analgesia as compared to opioids. Acupuncture provides prolonged analgesia and does not need further medication as opposed to opioids. It was found out that acupuncture could be used as a preventive medical.
Treatment using acupuncture varies from one individual to another. Some patients are just satisfied with the results they get after using the technique for treatment. Patients who do not get satisfied after a few sessions usually spend a lot of money for treatment (Chao, et al., 2016). Money cannot be compared to the health of an individual, safety comes first. Acupuncture may contribute to drowsiness, weakness, and loss of appetite and severe pain, which cannot be treated magically and instantly (Patil, et al., 2016). Thus, the method provides temporary benefits as opposed to long-lasting benefits. Some people with a sensitive skin may develop eruptions and rashes (McCartney & Nelligan, 2014). Such effects are negligible since only few people experience them.
Conclusion
From the above benefits and disadvantages of using acupuncture, it is quite clear that the benefits outweigh the challenges encountered and the negative effects of the treatment. The adverse effects of using acupuncture are only experienced for a short time. Most of them last for a few minutes or hours. The other advantage is that the method can be used to patients belonging to any age group because there are no significant problems that may be encountered during treatment. The most severe effects of using needles in acupuncture is that it may lead to transmission of diseases such as hepatitis. Such effects can be prevented by using strict safety measures of sterilizing the equipment used. The method can be quite safe if only safety measures are taken not to compromise the health of a patient.
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